Written Answers Friday 12 March 2010

Scottish Executive

Birds

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-native (a) red-legged partridges and (b) pheasants are released into the wild each year and what trend the number of releases has shown over recent decades.

Roseanna Cunningham: This information is not available. There is no requirement for land managers to provide information on the numbers of game birds released on their land.

Birds

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of evidence that releases of non-native game birds have been implicated in damage to (a) wildlife on Sites of Special Scientific Interest or (b) the wider environment.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is aware that release of non-native red legged partridge was implicated in damage to a SSSI (Craig Leek) near Braemar. The birds were released at a location adjacent to but not within the SSSI and started to roost in concentrated numbers on rock ledges within the SSSI leading to nutrient enrichment of the ledges through the accumulation of droppings.

  In the wider environment, the inappropriate siting of game bird release pens may have localised impacts on habitats (such as damage to ground flora) within the release pens or in areas adjacent to the pens. Some researchers have expressed concern about the risks of transfer of parasites and diseases from concentrations of non-native game birds to wild bird populations and over the impact large numbers of non-native game birds may have on the availability of food for native birds, although we are not aware that these concerns have been substantiated evidentially.

Environment

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been undertaken into the projected CO 2 emissions arising from the planned Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) structural reorganisation process and how this compares with the emissions from SEPA’s current operations.

Roseanna Cunningham: This is an operational matter for SEPA. I have asked Dr Campbell Gemmell, Chief Executive of SEPA, to respond to your question.

Flooding

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the flood funding grant in 2010-11 and 2011-12 will take account of previous years’ flood expenditure by local authorities.

Roseanna Cunningham: The General Capital Grant distributed to all authorities covers all services including flood risk management measures. A distribution methodology for resourcing these measures has been agreed with COSLA and does not take account of previous years’ expenditure.

Food

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether research has been carried out into a connection between glucose-fructose syrup in food and drink and the rise in obesity.

Shona Robison: Glucose-fructose syrup, also known as

  High-fructose Corn Syrup

  is used as an alternative to sugar (sucrose) by the food industry for certain products.

  In 2009, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) commenced a review of carbohydrate and health, this will include evaluating the evidence on sugar intake and cardio metabolic health outcomes including cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes and obesity. SACN are due to report in early 2012.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in (a) total and (b) each NHS board area received treatment for neurological conditions other than stroke in the last year for which figures are available.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not available centrally.

  Obtaining better data on neurological conditions in order to improve service planning and quality is central to the Implementation and Improvement Support Plan which NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has published to accompany its clinical standards for neurological health services.

Kinship Care

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many kinship carers accessed the kinship care advice and information service in 2009.

Adam Ingram: During 2009, 762 kinship carers accessed the advice and information service provided by Citizen Advice Scotland.

Kinship Care

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors satisfaction levels among users of the kinship care advice and information service.

Adam Ingram: The Kinship Care Advice and Information Service provides independent, quality and trusted advice on a range of topics, including the solution of complex benefit issues for kinship carers. Scottish Government seeks feedback on the experiences of advice line users from the Project’s National Advisory Group on which kinship carers are represented. In addition, an independent evaluation in 2009 by MORI of the service found that 94% of clients would recommend it to others.

Kinship Care

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many kinship carers have accessed the training and development courses funded by the £6.2 million grant allocated for that purpose.

Adam Ingram: The £6.2 million grant was provided in 2007-08 to improve the training and development opportunities for both kinship and foster carers. A total of 2,274 kinship and 3,911 foster carers benefited from the funding.

Kinship Care

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to commission research on the levels of payments to kinship carers.

Adam Ingram: Scottish Government has no plans at present to conduct research on levels of payments to kinship carers. Decisions on appropriate levels of support for kinship carers are a matter for local authorities.

Prison Service

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to prevent prisoners from sending unwanted letters to their victims.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2006 enable the Governor to take steps to seek to prevent prisoners corresponding with individuals or institutions that have made this request in writing.

Prison Service

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether measures to prevent prisoners from sending unwanted letters to their victims could be circumvented by marking a letter as legal correspondence.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  It is possible for prisoners to attempt to circumvent procedures put in place to prevent unwanted letters being sent out to victims. The SPS take their public protection responsibilities very seriously and will take whatever legal steps are available to uphold these responsibilities. The Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2006 enable governors to intercept and open mail from and to prisoners where it is suspected, or reported to the establishment, that a prisoner is seeking to send mail to someone who has requested this not to happen.

Prison Service

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how measures to prevent prisoners from sending unwanted letters to their victims compare with those in England and Wales.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Prison and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2006 enable governors to take steps to seek to prevent prisoners corresponding with persons or institutions that have made it known that they do not wish to receive correspondence.

  The measures applied in Scotland are similar to those measures applied in England and Wales in so far as a recipient of correspondence from a prisoner in England and Wales may request in writing that no further letters should be sent.

Public Sector

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what public agencies use the eCare system.

John Swinney: The following public agencies are connected to the eCare Framework: North Ayrshire Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Aberdeenshire Council, Angus Council, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Western Isles, NHS Grampian, NHS Tayside. These agencies are at different stages of implementation of its usage with front line staff.

Public Sector

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage public agencies to use the eCare system.

John Swinney: Data Sharing Partnerships, based in each of the 14 health board geographies, were established in 2006, to drive implementation locally. The DSPs worked, both with each other and with Scottish Government policy teams and the eCare Programme Team, to encourage the use of eCare to effectively support policy and business requirements.

Public Sector

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the pilot projects using the eCare system will be evaluated.

John Swinney: An evaluation for the most recent implementation, in the Grampian Data Sharing Partnership, is currently in development, and should be available by June 2010.

Public Sector

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Scotland and individual NHS boards use the eCare system and what the reasons are for their positions on this matter.

John Swinney: NHS boards in Tayside, Grampian, Ayrshire and Arran, and Western Isles are currently connected to eCare, for the sharing of information with their partner agencies. These agencies are at different stages of implementation of its usage with front line staff.

  Five other health board areas are moving towards connection to eCare: NHS boards in Fife, Highland, Forth Valley, Borders, and Dumfries and Galloway.

  NHS Lanarkshire already take part in multi-agency information sharing, using locally developed eCare technology solutions, which will interact with the national eCare, in the future.

  NHS Greater and Glasgow and Clyde are involved in pilot proof of concept work for eCare.

  NHS Lothian are considering their options following the award of the national Patient Management System (PMS) contract, to Intersystems TRAK, which is a system which NHS Lothian already use. The PMS contract includes connection to eCare as a core component.

  NHS Shetland have plans in place to procure a community health system, which will be able to connect to eCare.

  NHS Orkney have a joint-working solution with their council partner, and are currently evaluating the need to connect this to the national eCare system, based on local business requirements.

  There have been some delays in health engaging with eCare, for two main reasons: lack of community-based health systems to support the electronic recording of Single Shared Assessments, and a perceived divergence of eCare’s functionality from local business needs.

  The emergence of systems like NHS Tayside’s MiDIS have served to address the first point, and work is currently underway across the eCare Programme to address the second.

Roads

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who serves on the stakeholder group looking at the proposed plans for the Inverness bypass; when it last met, and what issues were discussed.

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the stakeholder group looking at the proposed plans for the Inverness bypass will next meet and what issues will be discussed.

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether agendas and papers from meetings of the stakeholder group looking at the proposed plans for the Inverness bypass will be made public.

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in bringing forward plans to complete the proposed Inverness bypass.

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the need for more community engagement in the stakeholder group looking at the proposed plans for the Inverness bypass to ensure that local views are fully taken into account.

Stewart Stevenson: Connection of the A96 to the A9 is the responsibility of the Scottish Government while the connection of the A82 to the A9 is for the Highland Council.

  An effective partnership between Highland Council and Transport Scotland has been established to ensure that proposals for both these connections is co-ordinated.

  I regularly discuss progress with the Leader of the Highland Council, most recently on 19 January.

Scottish Futures Trust

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to the Scottish Futures Trust in respect of its use of consultants.

John Swinney: The Scottish Futures Trust’s (SFT) activities are guided by the principles set out in the Management Statement and Financial Memorandum agreed between SFT and the Scottish Government. This document is available on SFT’s website ( www.scottishfuturestrust.org.uk ).

Scottish Futures Trust

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultants are being used by the Scottish Futures Trust to work on projects related to Scottish Water, broken down by (a) length of contract and (c) amount to be paid to each consultant for the duration of the contract.

John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust to respond. His response is as follows:

  No consultants are being used for work on projects in relation to Scottish Water.

Scottish Futures Trust

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3M-30952 by John Swinney on 3 February 2010, whether the Scottish Futures Trust will renew its contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust to respond. His response is as follows:

  No decision has been made on whether to renew the contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Young People

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it has provided to Inspiring Scotland for the Go Play fund.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government has identified £4 million in 2009-11 for the Go Play programme, which is to be managed and administered by Inspiring Scotland. Inspiring Scotland have already received £2 million in 2009-2010 and are due to receive another £2 million in 2010-11.

Young People

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the money that it has provided to Inspiring Scotland for the Go Play fund will be used for administration charges.

Adam Ingram: 10% of the programme funding (£400,000) will be used for core functions necessary to implement the fund, which includes

  management, finance, administration and communications.

Young People

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the money that it has provided to Inspiring Scotland for the Go Play fund will be used to pay consultants.

Adam Ingram: Inspiring Scotland may expend up to £420,000 of the grant to cover the cost of employing six professional advisors. These six professional advisors are being employed over a two year period.

  The contract with Inspiring Scotland states that if Inspiring Scotland employs fewer than six professional advisors over the two year period, then they will invest a pro-rata share of the said sum into

  direct investment of play services and capacity-building of the voluntary play sector.

  The

  performance advisors will be dedicated to running the

  programme

  and

  worked closely with the charities during the application process and after decisions were made on who will receive funding. T

  hey will be monitoring the delivery of the work and providing regular performance reports.

Young People

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultancy firms (a) are being or (b) will be used by Inspiring Scotland in relation to the Go Play fund.

Adam Ingram: No consultancy firms are being used by Inspiring Scotland in relation to the Go Play fund. The performance advisors are employed by Inspiring Scotland.